Reflection apparatus for pedestrians



June 12, 1962 5. w. JONES 3,038,381

REFLECTION APPARATUS FOR PEDESTRIANS Filed Feb. 1, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'i NiG' |-i a June 12, 1962 G. w. JONES 3,038,381

REFLECTION APPARATUS FOR PEDESTRIANS 7 Filed Feb. 1, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .1. 2, FIG. 1a A IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 3,038,381 REFLECTION APPARATUS FOR PEDESTRIANS George W. Jones, Winchester, Va. Filed Feb. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 5,769 3 Claims. (Cl. 88-30) This invention relates to an apparatus particularly adapted to the prevention of accidents to pedestrians. An important object of the invention being to provide a device of this character that will permit a pedestrian to be easily seen by vehicle drivers; during fog, dusk, or the dark hours of night.

It is well known that many pedestrians who walk along the highways and cross the streets, especially at night, cannot be seen by drivers of vehicles until it is too late to steer the vehicle around them. Many of these pedestrians wear dark clothing, and because such clothing does not reflect the light it is almost impossible to see the wearer after dark, unless a small part of the light from the headlights of the vehicle is reflected from the hands or face of the pedestrian, thereby attracting the attention of the driver to the person walking along the highway.

Many types of apparatus and methods have been suggested heretofore. Prior apparatus and methods, however, have been found to be bulky, or complex, and to be, in many respects, unsatisfactory. The art has long desired a simple apparatus that would permit a pedestrian, or bicycle rider, to carry in his pocket an uncomplicated, light reflector.

Another object of this invention is to provide a reflector which is inexpensive to manufacture employing such readily available materials as cardboard and handkerchief, example, and being provided with a display space for advertising material, safety slogans or other suitable messages such that it may be dispensed at little or no cost to the intended user by merchants, civic organization, or other interested parties such as, for example, policemen encountering pedestrians or cyclists in need thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character that can be easily folded and carried in the pocket, with little weight and bulk.

Another object of this invention is a reflector to be attached to the limbs of a pedestrian or cyclist which will not encumber the free use of the limbs in normal walking or pedaling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bodily carried reflector which due to the movement thereof imparted by walking or pedaling in combination with the reflective properties and color contrast will attract the attention of motorists even during temporary periods of visual impairment caused by approaching headlights.

Other objects and advantages of the invention is accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts as will be apparent with the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a silhouette view of an embodiment of the invention applied to the arm and head of a pedestrian, with a handkerchief extending therefrom.

FIG. 2 is a face view of the invention in the form of a cap folded to fit the pocket, with a safety message or advertisement printed on its surface.

FIG. 3 is a face view of the invention in the form of a cuif folded to fit the pocket, with a safety message or advertisement printed on its surface.

FIG. 4 is an open plan view of the cuff showing the folded handkerchief, the holes through which the handkerchief is inserted, and the fold lines.

FIG. 5 is the same as in FIG. 4, with the lower section folded over the handkerchief.

"ice

FIG. 6 is the same View as in FIG. 5, with the upper section folded over the lower section.

FIG. 7 is the same view as in FIG. 6, with the right section folded over the center section.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the folded cuff, containing the handkerchief, and ready for the pocket of the pedestrian.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view along line BB in FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is an open sectional view of FIG. 5 along line B-B.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the invention in the form of a cap along line AA of FIG. 12, showing the handkerchief knotted inside the cap.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the cap.

FIG. 13 is the same as FIG. 12 folded along line AA.

FIG. 14 is the same as FIG. 13 folded along the vertical fold line.

FIG. 15 is a rear View of the folded cap ready for the pocket of the pedestrian.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by characters of reference, reference numeral 11 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 designates an embodiment of the invention in the form of a cuff attached to the extremity of a pedestrian. Numeral It] designates the embodiment of the same invention in the form of a cap worn on the head of a pedestrian and illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. The handkerchief used as a streamer in combination with the cap 10 is designated by numeral 8 and is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 11, and partially in FIGS. 14 and 15. Numeral 9, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, partially in FIG. 5, and by hidden lines in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, and in cross sectional FIGS. 9 and 10, designates the handkerchief used in combination with the cuff 11.

Referring to FIG. 11, the cross sectional. view of cap 10 shows one corner of handkerchief 8 knotted, and inserted from the outside through hole 6 to the inside of the cap it The knot in handkerchief 8 holds cap 10 and handkerchief 8 in combination until said knot is untied, then handkerchief 8 may be removed through hole 6 from cap 10. Hole 6 may be located at any convenient point on cap 10 and the fold lines 7 made to converge to this point. Hole 6 is located in the center of cap it in FIG. 12, and the fold lines converge to this center. In FIG. 13 only one-half of hole 6 is shown as cap 10 is folded along line AA. Cap 10 is further folded to one-fourth size in FIG. 14, with a corner of handkerchief S exposed at the opening 6. Cap 10 is folded to pocket size, in FIG. 15, with a corner of handkerchief 8 exposed at 6.

The embodiment of the invention in the: form of a culf is designated as numeral 11. Cuff 11 is illustrated attached to the extremity of a pedestrian in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows cuff 11 folded to pocket size with a safety message printed on the outside. In FIG. 4 cuff 11 is open, with the inner surface up showing the handkerchief or streamer 9 in the center section. Holes 1, 2, and 3 along the left section of cuff 11 are placed so they coincide when the lower and upper sections are folded over the middle section. This makes it possible to insert handkerchief 9, or a corner of said handkerchief, through holes 1, 2, or 3 so cuff 11 can be made narrow, medium or wide. Under the left edge of cuff 11, and not exposed to view in FIG. 4, are three buttons 4 around which corresponding strings 5, along the right edge of cuff 11, are twisted to hold culf 11 into a cylindrical shape around the extremity of a pedestrian as illustrated in the silhouette View FIG. 1. The dash lines in FIG. 4 are fold lines and designated by numeral 7.

FIG. 5 is the same as FIG. 4 except the lower section is folded over the middle section, leaving only holes 1 and 3 exposed to view. Hole 2 is under hole 1, leaving an opening at hole 1 for the corner of handkerchief 9 to be inserted when only two-thirds of cuff 11 is to be used.

One of the three buttons 4- is seen on the folded over lower section, along the left edge. The other two buttons are under the folded cuff 11 and are not seen in this view. The handkerchief 9, under the folded over lower section, is a hidden or dash line. The other dash lines are the fold lines designated by numeral '7. Along the right edge of cuff 11 are seen the three strings 5, which when twisted around buttons 4 holds cuff 11 in place on the extremity of the pedestrian.

A cross sectional view through line BB of FIG. is shown in FIG. 9, to the right of FIG. 5. In this view the edge of the handkerchief 9 is seen folded between the lower section and the middle section of cuff 11. A cross section of the holes 1, 2, and 3 are brought to view, as is also, the edge view of buttons 4 and strings 5.

FIG. is also a cross sectional view through line Bl3 of HG. 5. This is an open view of the edge of cuff 11 showing how the lower, middle and upper sections fold around handkerchief 9. The holes 1, 2 and 3 are seen in this view as well as buttons 4- and fold lines 7.

When the lower and upper sections of cuff 11 are folded over the middle section the result is a cuif of one third size with hole 3 exposed to view and holes 1 and 2 out of view and coinciding with hole 3 leaving a hole through which a corner of handkerchief 9 may be inserted. This is illustrated in PEG. 6. Also, seen in this view is one of the buttons 4 and one of the strings 5 each on opposite ends of the upper section of cuff 11. The handkerchief 9 is illustrated by a broken line and the broken numeral 9, on each side of the handkerchief 9 are two broken lines designated by numeral 7, these are fold lines.

FIG. 7 is the same as FIG. 6 with the right section folded over the center section.

FIG. 8 is the same as FIG. 7 with the left section of cuff 11 folded over the center section. This shows a rear view of cuff 11 folded to fit the pocket. Handkerchief 9 is enclosed and illustrated by the broken line.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed as new and useful and to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A trafiic safety device for attachment to a persons limb comprising a foldable sheet of light reflecting material having parallel first fold lines subdividing the sheet into a plurality of consecutive areas, and additional parallel fold lines transversely of the first fold lines subdividing said areas into subsections, one of the subsections of each area having each an aperture therein for the reception of a streamer, said apertures being disposed to mutually register with each other when the sheet is folded along said first fold lines, and means for holding the sheet in a tubular shape about a persons limb, said sheet comprising a storage compartment for the streamer when folded along said fold lines.

2. A tratfic safety device as defined by claim 1 in which the means for holding the sheet in a tubular shape comprises buttons secured to one end of each area and corresponding cords secured to the opposite ends of the areas, said cords being adapted to releasably encircle the buttons, respectively.

3. A traffic safety device for attachment to a persons limb comprising a foldable sheet of light reflecting material having parallel first fold lines subdividing the sheet into a plurality of consecutive areas including a median area, and additional parallel fold lines transversely of the first fold lines subdividing said areas into sub-sections including a median sub-section in said median area, one of the sub-sections of each area having an aperture therein for the reception of a streamer, said apertures being disposed to mutually register with each other when the sheet is folded along said first fold lines, means for holding the sheet in a tubular shape about a persons limb, said median sub-section forming with adjacent sub-sections a storage compartment for the streamer when the sheet is folded along said fold lines with the said adjacent subsections overlying the median sub-section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,739,289 Carter Dec. 10, 1929 2,431,169 Dice NOV. 18, 1947 2,656,763 Frost Oct. 27, 1953 2,991,699 Murray July 11, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Blackouts, United States Oflice of Civilian Defense publication, August 1941, page 26 relied upon. 

